'Sleeping Beauty' a little sleepy

REVIEW -Russian National Ballet's version is grand but undramatic.

REVIEW -Russian National Ballet's version is grand but undramatic.

January 23, 2006|KARLA CRUISE Tribune Correspondent

SOUTH BEND The Russian National Ballet's production of "The Sleeping Beauty" presented a good, solid primer in classical ballet. Symphonic music was harmoniously unified with motion and intricately patterned group dances alternated with bravura solos. Yet the troupe's Saturday performance at the Morris Performing Arts Center at times lacked drama and presented uninspired choreographic design. By itself, the ballet's libretto is undramatic because it's essentially without conflict: Prince Charming need only plant a well-timed kiss to win his beautiful, sleeping bride, Aurora. But Tchaikovsky's musical score for "The Sleeping Beauty" with its menacing horns (the theme of the evil fairy Carabosse) and tender violins (the good Lilac fairy's theme) pushes the battle between good and evil into the foreground, demanding that the dancers be dramatically engaged. Unfortunately, the troupe's dancers were frequently poker-faced and emotionally absent. When Princess Aurora pricks her finger on a spindle and falls to the floor, the king and queen look only mildly concerned. Following traditional interpretations of her role, Ekaterina Selskaya's Aurora is joyous and girlishly tentative in Act I, becoming more confident in her placement and legato in her phrasing as she matures in Acts II and III. Although both Aurora and her energetic, charismatic Prince, Ruslan Mukhambetkaliev, seemed well-suited to their roles, the same cannot be said of the Lilac Fairy, Tatiana Smirnova, whose height and physique did not fit her ethereal role. Engaging as it was to see a ballet so respectful of the legendary Marius Petipa's 1890 choreography and its traditions, some of the dances, particularly the garland dance in Act I, looked stilted and old-fashioned when translated onto a 21st century stage. For example, eight male and female peasant dancers lifted and lowered their squeaking plastic garlands with abrupt staccato motions while being exposed to a punishing bright light. Despite the occasionally awkward translations of 19th century style, the dances faithfully followed the contours of Tchaikovsky's beautiful score and preserved the grand symmetry of Petipa's choreography, bringing the audience (which occupied a healthy 1,428 of the theater's 2,500 seats) on their feet.